The surveillance video shows a car skimming the lane like a comet, then going up in flames when it collided with an approaching sedan and split it in two.
Inside the sedan were four 18-year-old men, high school graduates and residents of Yonkers, Westchester County, where the crash occurred late Tuesday. All four died on the spot, Yonkers police officials said. The driver of the speeding car, a 36-year-old man, was taken from his 2009 Infiniti and transported to a trauma center, where he died of his injuries.
Shortly before the crash, police had spotted the Infiniti moving erratically near South Broadway and Prospect Street in Yonkers and tried to stop it in front of Riverdale Avenue. The driver, the 36-year-old man, paused, but immediately accelerated “past reckless speeds” on the avenue as he approached the Culver Street intersection, police said.
Simultaneously, a silver Nissan, occupied by the four young men, pulled into the intersection. The speeding car collided with the Nissan, “resulting in catastrophic damage to both vehicles,” police said on Wednesday, adding, “The force of the collision split the Nissan in two.”
Police identified the four young men in the Nissan as Brandon Sierra, Randy Brisbane, Tamari Watkins and Anthony Cruz, all recent graduates of Saunders Trades and Technical High School in Yonkers. The sedan driver was identified as Devon Haywood of Mount Vernon, NY
Maria Delgado, 74, who lives near the scene, was on the phone, about to take out the trash, when she heard the deafening noise of the crash and walked to her window.
“I thought there was a shooting, but then realized it was a crash,” she said.
She added, “I was so shocked. I’ve never been in an accident like this. I’ve never seen a car split so completely. Oh my God.”
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said the tragic accident was a reminder of the dangers of speeding.
“Four young lives were cut short by one person’s recklessness,” he said in a statement. “Let this be a lesson to anyone who drives at high speeds – it endangers not only your life, but also the innocent lives with whom you share the road.”